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The Settlers: Heritage of King Details

Even more information about Blue Byte and Ubisoft's fifth strategy building game.

Ubisoft has released more details on the fifth title in Blue Byte Software's beloved The Settlers series, The Settlers: Heritage of King, at E3 this week. The Settlers: Heritage of Kings is a world-building strategy game with fully rendered 3D visuals and fast-paced gameplay. The game combines kingdom building and resource gathering with good old fashioned large scale warfare. Players create a fully functional community, discover new technological advances and repel or conquer enemy forces.

The game will offer a 20 mission single-player campaign where players must conquer seven other nations in a bid to find a mythical object called the Orb of Power. A multiplayer component will be included, but details on that are still undisclosed at this time. If anything like previous games in the series, the game will also offer a skirmish mode against computer controlled opponents with selectable match types.

The game will also feature slick 3D graphics using Criterion's RenderWare game engine technology - units, landscapes, objects and structures will be rendered in 3D for the first time in the series. Weather effects and terrain will also affect gameplay in a positive way. Units will move more slowly on certain terrain as the result of weather like snow and rivers can be frozen, making them passable. Finally, Blue Byte is going to great lengths to make the world feel more alive - it will be populated by animals and plant life that are realistic in behavior, movement and appearance.

The Settlers series has always felt like a kingdom building simulation, where its citizens took orders and did their work for the greater good of the community. The latest title will build on that concept with 70 types of intelligent inhabitants - each with its own benefits, uses, skills, and abilities. Players will use these inhabitants for resource gathering, war and researching new types of technology. Finally, a new barter system is being added that lets players barter materials, items and advancements to acquire extra abilities and options.

Finally, combat will play a serious role in gameplay. The game will offer new role-playing elements including enhanced abilities, weapons, and technologies. The game is also getting some expert concept development and game design contributed by Bruce Milligan, who will make sure that the game is fun to play both offline and online.

The Settlers: Heritage of King is scheduled for release in the fourth quarter.